This weblog was created to act as a platform for the voice of secular pro-democracy activists in and outside Iran who are struggling against the religious dictatorship of the Islamic clerics in Iran.
My favourite quote:
"Evil only prevails when the good stay silent"

Friday, October 28, 2005

So everyone has now heard what the Islamic Republic of Iran's president said about wiping Israel off the map, but to be honest, I was baffled by the international reaction. Why all of a sudden such a strong reaction? What is new? Islamic Republic has always maintained that Israel should be wiped off the map. In fact when Ahmadinejad said the infamous quote, he was quoting Khomeini. His exact words were "...as Imam Khomeini rightly said, Israel should be wiped off the map".

Worse still Rafsanjani once said in his Friday prayer sermons, that only one nuclear warhead is enough to destroy Israel, and in return Israel can only partially destroy the Islamic world. Every year on the last Friday of Ramadan, Islamic Republic hosts Jerusalem Day marches not just in Iran but throughout the world, where chants of Death to Israel is shouted. Yet I don't recall such a strong reaction from the world leaders.Could it be that the world has finally come to its senses and got over the false smiles of ex-president Khatami and sees the mullahs for what they are? Watching Newsnight program last night dashed all such hopes. Some stupid woman whom I cant remember her name but who was speaking as the head of some sort of strategic defence think thank - yes another Think not Thank - thought the West should engage in a dialogue with Iran!

The truth is sanctions will not work, military options are not on the agenda, bolstering separatism in Iran is futile and will strengthen the Mullahs. There is only one option; supporting the secular democratic opposition forces in Iran to bring about the change of regime in Iran. That's the only viable option.

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Ahmad (Chosen Iranian name, Aryo) Saraji, who has been imprisoned since 29 June in a jail in Tabriz, North West Iran has received 30 lashes of the whip as part of his sentence. The punishment has been for offending the authorities while for the accusation of threatening the "state security", he is still awaiting judgement.

Aryo's favourite Iranian hero is Babak Khorramdin, who resisted the Arab invaders from his fortress of Baz for more than 22 years. Arab historians at the time describe how after Babak's right arm was cut off as part of his sentence of death by mutilation, Babak dabbed his left hand in the blood and wiped it over his face. When the puzzled Khalif asked the meaning of his action, Babak replied "I didn't want anyone to see me pale and think I was scared".

I wonder how Aryo tolerated the 30 lashes, but I am sure in his suffering he seeked the same spirit of defiance as Babak. Iranian culture will not be subdued by the whip, 1400 years of experience has proved this. What hurts me most however is when the likes of the Vile LibDem Baroness Nicholson, get away with describing this as the "shining example of democracy for the region"."tofoo bar tow ey charkhe gardoon tofoo"

Friday, October 21, 2005

American Enterprise Institute is supposed to be a think tank, yet when it comes to Iran it seems to be a Think Tank that doesn't Think.

For some time now, this institute has been trying to drum up the cause of separatism in Iran. A futile task that has been tried and tested and failed many times in Iran, because non-Iranians just do not understand the deep rooted bonds between our people.

There were also some similar disastrous "campaigns" by some Jewish groups like "Message in the bottle Campaign" which drew 15 people in London, largely non-Iranians :)There is also the nonsense on http://danielbart.com/ which posts articles on Iran, worthy of a sixth form debating society.

So in line with all this trumped up commotion, the AEI is now holding a seminar on "Another Case for Federalism" and "The Unknown Iran". Just looking at the agenda makes you laugh.

The first thing that comes to your mind is, who the hell are these attendees?? I recognise Hossein Bor, from United Baluchistan Front of Iran, a dedicated Iranian nationalist, and the rest are just nobodies, nonentities.

Only a day after this AEI meeting was announced, as I expected, United Baluchistan Front of Iran, publicly denied being part of this AEI conference and inline with its known policies rejected all talks of separatism for Iran.

So once again the AEI Think Tank has wasted money on gathering a group of insignificant nobodies which will only achieve one thing, STRENGTHEN THE ISLAMIC REGIME IN IRAN.

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

I am not a big fan of the BBC and especially its news editors, whom I regard as a bunch of senile popmpous snobs, however I have been brought up to be honest and pay tribute even to my foe, if praise is due. Last night's Newsnight's From Our Correspondent's report on the victims of Saddam's chemical attack in the Iranian village of Zardeh, was one such instance.

Frances Harrison brought to the attention of the world, the plight and the ongoing suffering of the people of Zardeh. The report was so moving that even the presenter, Gavin Hessler, struggled to hide his emotions. Seventeen years on since the chemical attack, the people of Zardeh are still struggling with the effects of this hideous crime.

I just hope those "do-gooders" in the West, who were against the war to topple Saddam, can may be realise why for us in the Middle East, it was so vital to depose Saddam, despite the high price tag it carried. I want the families of those killed servicemen to know that their sacrifices were not for nothing, and an evil dictator was removed as a result.

The program also showed how the Islamic Republic, so willing to finance terror groups around the world, can be so apathetic to the suffering of its own people. It seems the people of Zardeh like the vast majority of the Iranian people have missed out on the huge oil revenues of the Islamic Republic.

Friday, October 14, 2005

Barones Emma Nicholson who is Vice President of the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs and member of delegation for relations with Iran, speaking today during a debate on Iran in the EP in Brussels, said Iran "has a more advanced form of democracy than most of her neighbours." and "the Islamic Republic of Iran has much to offer the region and the wider world"!!

Islamic Republic is infact a brutal backward theocracy. Only Shiite Muslims can stand as candidates in the "elections", but not all the Shiites, only the ones who accept the state interpretation of Shiite Islam, even then they are still vetted by the unelected Guardian Council before the elections and after the elections, even then the state uses its apparatus to cheat in the elections.

To draw an analogy, it would be elections in Apartheid run South Africa, where only a minority could have taken part in the election process according to their racial status. Yet all this does not stop a vile British Baroness from promoting the Islamic Republic as a "shining example of democracy in the region". Imagine if she had mentioned the Apartheid South Africa as a "shining example of democracy in the region", there would have been an uproar among the luvvies and the arti-farties, but Baroness Nicholson can get away with saying it about the Islamic Republic of Iran, where women are not allowed to stand for many posts. Why can Nicholson get away with such comments??????. Because we Iranian expats let her and her kind get away with it. We are too busy wasting time, talking amongst ourselves and condemning Islamic Republic on PalTalk and making speeches for ourselves in our so many conferences.

I happen to know a few things about this scum Baroness, apart from the fact that she has extremely bad breath, in a meeting in Laleh hotel in Tehran and in the presence of some Islamic Intelligence Officials, she asked a BBC reporter to spy on an Iranian dissident under the disguise of making a documentary. The BBC reporter has privately confirmed this information to me, but sadly does not have enough courage to go public with it.

Friday, October 07, 2005

Happy Mehregan to all lovers of Iran, to all lovers of light, happiness and love and to those who honour their word.

After Nowrooz, the festival of Mehregan is the most important celebration in the Iranian calendar. In the good old days, the good religion of our forefathers was about righteousness and happiness. Sadness and melancholy were frowned upon and unlike today where Iranians are told to mourn and lament, the old calendar was full of festivities and celebrations.

There are many accounts for Mehregan. Upon Mehregan it is said that the wise Lord, Ahuramazda, gave light to the world, that had previously been dark. Mehregan also marks the day in our mythical calendar, where the blacksmith Kaveh rallied the people around Fereydoon, the Iranian heir to the throne, and toppled the foreign tyrant Zahak who had seized the Iranian Kingdom.Mehr in Avestan is "Miora" and in ancient Persian and is "Mithra". The word "Mehr" has many meanings in Persian. It can mean love and it is also a symbol of the sun. Mehr can also mean promise and covenant. Ahura-Mazda was said to have created Mithras in order to guarantee the authority of contracts and the keeping of promises. The divine duty of Mithras was to ensure general prosperity through good contractual relations between men. It was believed that misfortune would befall the entire land if a contract was ever broken.

Mehr is also the seventh month of the Iranian calendar. The time for harvest, when visitors from different parts of the empire brought gifts for the Shahanshah, the King of Kings, during a lively jubilant festival.

Mehr was also considered to be a God of heroism and warfare. The Iranian soldiers were strong believers of Mehr and their songs for Mehr gave them courage in warfare. With expansion of Persian Empire, the worship of Mehr was taken to other countries, including Rome.

By the first century A.D., Mithraism was a familiar religion in Rome and gradually spread throughout Western Europe as far as the shores of the Black Sea and the North Sea. Many people converted to this Iranian belief, since it was religion of ethics, hope, courage and generosity. Archeological excavations throughout Europe and Iran's neighboring countries have uncovered the buried remains of many Mehr temples. Quite a number of the very old churches of Europe were built in the style of these temples.

Many Roman Emperors converted to Mithraism. One emperor, Julianus, became a devoted follower of Mithra, and decided to go to Iran to visit the country of his God. On route he was murdered. As he lay dying, he threw his blood towards the sun and said "this is my gift to you".

There are still many rituals, traditions, beliefs and prayers of Mithras that have survived the popularity of Christianity or indeed have influenced it. Some of these can be found in the Christian religion, such as the holy day, Sunday. This is a day that was named after the sun i.e. Mehr. Mithras represented a system of ethics in which brotherhood was encouraged in order to unify against the forces of evil. The worshippers of Mithras believed in a celestial heaven and an infernal hell.

Purification was through a ritual of baptism required of the faithful, who also took part in a ceremony in which they drank wine and ate bread to symbolize the body and blood of the god.

Happy Mehregan to all lovers of Iran, to all lovers of light, happiness and love and to those who honour their word.

It has now been more than 40 days since anyone including Ganji's wife and family have any news of his whereabouts or even whether he is alive or dead.

The marginal international pressure which built up during the earlier days of his hunger strike seems to have dwindled away. The press and media have simply forgotten to ask what has happened to him. Unlike terrorist suspects held in Guantanama, who are still the favourites with the media headlines, the little interest shown for Ganji seems to have been a short lived fad. None of the journalists who had the opportunity to interview President Ahmadi-Nejad during his UN visit even bothered to ask him about Ganji.

The PC world media once again showed that human rights abuses of secular Iranians is of little importance to them. So much for their Political Correctness.

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

This was sent to me by a friend, although I don't know who wrote it, but thought it would be very suitable for the weblog.

Persia’s Poetic Past

The sands of time have always knownThat civilization which has grownIn that plateau we call IranLand of the lion, and the sun

Kourosh brought unmatched gloryDariush’s Persepolis told the lasting storyStrength came from tolerance and freedomJustice and nobility flourished in this kingdomWise words of Kourosh, baked on a cylinder of clayRespected foreign cultures, and the right to freely prayWomen were respected, and slavery abolishedKourosh was Great, for the human rights he polished

The greatest empire ever seenTheir lasting legacy was unforeseenMasters of the worldThe Persians’ achievements must be told

And what of Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis?Did the Greeks truly receive such bliss?Herodotus embellished, told lies for the WestFor the Persians, these were skirmishes at best

But every golden era must someday endSo too Achaemanesh’s dynasty would bendAlexander’s army won, but could not seeWin or lose, Persians’ hearts always stay free

Revenge, envy, and wine made Alexander yearnThe pride of Persia, Persepolis, to burnThe labor of years, by a thousand artisans employedTook one lunatic one night, for this jewel to be destroyed

Greatness comes, from a worthy contributionTo humanity, to art, to law, or a scientific institutionThose who burn and loot deserve our hateSo answer this, was Alexander truly Great?

Parthians picked up the torch of our landPut Iranian rule back in Iranian handThey showed Greece and Rome, to name just twoThat Iran possesses great horses, and great men too

Like a Phoenix, from the ashes risingThe Sassanians arrived, with Iran reorganizingPower, wealth, and wisdom again flourishedThe rule of Ardeshir, Shapur, and Khosro let Iran be nourished

Life was based on three simple needsGood Thoughts, Good Words, and Good DeedsMonotheist religion, for all its evil and its goodCame from Iran, from where Zarathustra stood

Rome, for all its power and its legionsCouldn’t touch Iran’s vast regionsMany times Rome tried but failedEvery time cataphract armor thundered and hailed

But Sassanian wealth and beauty caught the eyeOf a dessert tribe, whose religion was a lieLike dessert snakes, they ruthlessly attackedUntil beautiful Ctesiphone was sacked

Rostam-e-Farokhzad, the brave and capable generalFought till the end, though his wounds were severalAt Qaddissiya, he came to Iran’s defenseAlas, the Taazi army was too dense

With coercion and the swordIslam was able to spread its wordA dark and sinister force was bornThat to this day brings Iran much scorn

Some to India had to fleeIran’s destruction was unbearable to seeParsees, they are called to this dayAhura Mazda, with them will always stay

But Iranian roots are strong and hard to killIran was freed again, with such a thrillThe Saffarids would answer the nation’s callTo make Arab tyranny shamefully fall

Don’t mourn the Ashura, weep a Taazi’s deathHassan and Hossein were foreigners, who weakened Iran’s breathIf mourn you must, then mourn, a national eventLike Gauguamela, or Qaddissiya, places of great lament

While Europe was stagnant in its Dark AgesPersian scholars thrived, free from mental cagesFrom algebra, to astronomy, and architecturePersians wrote the book, and gave the lecture

A time of great Persian thinkers had emergedWhere poetry and science, love and knowledge, easily vergedSaadi, Hafez, Rumi, Omar Khayam to name a fewThanks to them, humanity exponentially grew

Who could forget Ferdowsi, the greatest poet ever?He gave us Sam, Zal, and Rostam, heroes both brave and cleverThe Persian language, so eloquently resurrectedAs The Shahnameh was written with all Arabic words neglected

Many other invaders would come again, much the sameFrom Genghis Khan to Teimur the LameThey would loot, burn, and murderThe cities too proud to surrender

Though Turks and Mongols had military strengthThey were lacking in cultural lengthThe Persian culture was too rich, to be absorbed into theirsInstead they settled in Iran, and joined her proud heirs

It’s clear from this short and simple recapThat Iran had its share of glory, as well as mishapOur generation is unfortunate, assigned the stationOf another dark chapter, in the book of our nation

Once again Zahak is in powerHis snakes consume and poison every flowerHe uses religion and superstitionTo enforce his selfish and malicious mission

So once more dust off the Kaviyani bannerAnd fly it high, in a proud and fitting mannerZahak and his snakes will die once moreAnd our nation we shall yet restore

Iran in its infancy reached the skyWill faravahar’s wings expand, will Iran soar that high?Just lift the veil, you’ll surely seeIran’s brightest days lie ahead, when the Aryans are again free

There seems to be a flurry of suicide bombers with some sort of British connection. Not so surprising for those of us who have tried hard to warn British authorities about the dangers of the "home grown" Islamic fundamentalism.

The latest is Azahari bin Husin, the suspected mastermind of the bombing attacks on three crowded restaurants in the Indonesian resort island of Bali

Azahari bin Husin, 48, completed a doctorate at Reading University in the 1990s before being trained with the Al-Qaeda.

Saturday, October 01, 2005

One striking aspect of Islamic fundamentalism is its pathological hatred of all things beautiful. It is a fact that Islamic fundamentalists are often ugly and unattractive themselves. Talking to a female friend of mine, Fariba Marzban, who spent over eight years in the Islamic Republic prisons and reading her memoires confirms my conclusion. Fariba also told me how the more beautiful the women prisoners were, the more they suffered at the hands of the prison henchmen.If they had a particularly attractive feature, like eyes, hair or lips etc. that would become the target of their tormenters. The torturer would aim at destroying their beauty with a pathological zeal, as if anything beautiful was the work of the devil.

The picture you see here is that of an 18 year old, Hammasa Kohistani, of Afghan descent who became the first Muslim born Miss England. She won her crown in a two-day final at Liverpool's Olympia Theatre.

So what has been the Islamic community's reaction. Here is a summary :Before the Miss England final Islamic leaders in the North-West urged all four Muslim entrants to withdraw from the contest as they would be compromising the teachings of the Koran by showing naked flesh.

"There is no way a Muslim girl should be playing any part in this competition, because it is unlawful," said Hashim Sulaiman of the Liverpool Islamic Institute.

"If she has chosen to take part in this contest, she immediately goes out of the circle of Islam," Abdul Hamid, vice-chairman of the Lancashire Board of Mosques. By the way the mosque is funded by the Islamic Fundamentalist infested British Home Office. The logo on their website says "Funded by the Home Office: Building a Safe, Just and Tolerant Society."!!!!!

and here is a random sample of Muslim reactions I picked up on the internet - notice the Freudian slip of spelling "nude" as "nuke" in the first posting:

"I am an educated and bright minded person, but I am totally against of Hammasa, because she is the one who has destroyed the culture of our sweet and muslim country Afghanistan. She should not claim that she is an Afghan. She is the enemy of Afghan and muslim culture coz all the world see her nuke pictures."

About Me

Follow Me on Twitter @potkazar
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Last time I was in Iran, was during the Islamic "cultural revolution". I hated what was taking place in front of my eyes.
Illiterate gangs of thugs attacking students and academics and telling them how a university must be run! Book stalls being attacked, with books torn up and burned.
I knew then that I had to do something to get rid of this scourge of clerics who had seized power in Iran.
My main objective in life is to help establish a secular democracy in Iran.
I believe the best way forward for Iran to be based on four pillars of Democracy, Secularism, Nationalism and Meritocracy.
Most countries that have adopted these principles have been prosperous, why shouldn't our people be one of them?